Cadal Pass
The Cadal Path is the main road through the Cnàimh-Droma mountains. Conecting Port Edward to Town Stanley the Cadal Path is the busiest road on Finnféaran. In winter it is frequently blocked by snow drifts causing major traffic problems on Craònaith. History Origin Originating as a shepherds track though the mountains, the path was widened and became a well surfaced path for walking and and riding between Port Edward and Saesamh. Expansion In the 1800s the road was designated for major work to link the two main settlements. Previously taking the road from Port Edward to Seasamh through Omallach could take a whole day, engineers reckoned the new road would lower this to under two hours. The construction work was not easy and many of the Irish Navies that built the road suffered over the three winters it took to build. It is believed over 130 men died building the road. A cemetery for the workers can be found half way along in the shadow of ....... peak, the highest of the Ceòthar hills. Further modernisation The road was first tarmacked in 1931. In the 1960s when the islands road networks were being modernised the road was further widened and earth anchors and boulder nets were installed to reduce injuries and speed up repair times. Drainage was also improved both from the road surface and from the slopes above. Fjell Sprintere In the early 90s a movement started across the isle of illegal street racing. Initially started on Fyrkyrac, the group called the Fjell Sprintere spread quickly and soon Craònaith born groups were racing along the Cadal pass. By 1995 it was the premier road on the isles.Though illegal, the drivers were very discreet and only raced when the roads were empty, meaning local citizen and police interest in them was minimal. Sprinter Crash On Sunday 15th 1996 the Fjell Sprintere organised a Tōge race through the Cadal Pass. The weather warnings of snow meant the road was very empty, though black ice was present. A race between a Ford Capri 280 Turbo and a Volvo 850 R (two drivers who had a long history of rivalry) was set to be the last of the night. The race was meant to be a cat and mouse race where the cars would drive bumper to bumper creating a front car (mouse) and rear car (cat) .If the cat passed and held the lead, then the cat won. If the mouse outran the cat (set at 50 feet for Cadal) then the mouse would win. If there was no clear winner, the cars would switch position and run again. The race did not produce a clear winner on the first run, or on the return. A third run was started and speeds were pushed up much faster, but after ... turn (halfway, where the road starts to go downhill) the driver of the Capri spun out on a patch of black ice, careering off the edge of the then unguarded road. The car was destroyed in the ensuing blaze, killing the driver. Many of the cars used by the Fjell Sprintere had false licence plates so as not be caught by recently installed speed cameras, but the owner of the Capri had taken this one step further and removed or defaced all of the chassis codes and other distinguishing markings. To this day the driver of the Capri is unknown. The Volvo 850 R completed the course and returned to Fyrkyrak on the early morning ferry but was not seen again after that night. In 2004 a car matching its unique engine specification was interred at the SCB Vehicle Dismantlers in Edinburgh. The woman who sold it was paid in cash and used false Polish documents. Its identification tags had, like the capri, been removed. The rear light cluster can be found in Port Stanley museum in the traffic safety display. Aftermath The crash and subsequent explosion could be heard from Town Stanley. A fire engine was sent but was much too late to help by the time it arrived. The car was extinguished and cordoned off for police examination. The body was removed but due to the ravine the car was lodged in proved difficult to move, winter storms meant the shell was left until spring. Concern from citizens in Town Stanley forced the local Police to warrant arrests for members of the Fjell Sprintere, and regular searches were set up on the beagle straights ferry for cars with performance modifications likely to be associates. Over the next two months three high powered modified cars were seized (including a Saab 900 turbo later used by the Craònaith Constabulary as a pursuit vehicle) and their owners charged with insurance fraud and driving an illegally modified vehicle, though there was not enough evidence to convict the drivers of being members of the Sprintere. Two of the cars were crushed. Cadal pass was closed to install guard rails, and over the following weeks reports of group meet ups vanished. Increased police presence with patrol cars and the installation of more speed cameras meant within a year most people were convinced the group had disbanded. A local farmer who owned land on Craònaith bought the scrapped Capri from the police and put it on display at the Port Edward side of the Cadal pass, according to locals in an attempt to dissuade his son (who had just got his provisional licence) from joining any street racing clubs. The heavily graffitied shell can still be seen to the south of Port Edward. Today The road has been the most busy thoroughfare on Finnféaran since the early 20th century, connecting the busiest port with one of the largest towns. Snow and ice still cause issues, though improved road surfaces and a LCD warning system at either end have made it much less of a problem than in the peak of trouble in the 1980s.Category:Places Category:Craònaith